Livability has a highly individualistic
meaning-to the millionaire a mansion,
to the hermit a good, clean cave.
A common denominator has been found
for livability for comparatively large
groups of Canal employees with the re-
sult that many are now getting improved
kitchens, water heaters, tiled bathrooms,
paved patios, or jalousies on weather-
exposed windows at very low cost.
The Canal Company is spending
about $150,000 this fiscal year on the
livability program and another $150,-
000 is budgeted for the coming year.
The livability program consists in the
main of making relatively minor im-
provements to quarters desired by oc-
cupants on a group basis. Since it is
being done on a wholesale basis, indi-
vidual costs are kept relatively low and
these can be covered by small rental
increases spread over a long period.
The livability program, now developed
with definitive policy and planning, is
the outgrowth of many years of hap-
hazard improvements done on an indi-
vidual basis.
Since the first houses were built for
Canal workers in the construction period,
employees-or more likely their wives-
have found things they didn't like or
some change they wanted made. Until
the present program was developed, such
improvements required specific authori-
zation. After that was obtained the im-
provements might be made if the indi-
vidual paid the full cost; on the basis of
a rental increase; or by an agreement to
restore the house to its pristine condition.
While these conditions continue to pre-
vail in special cases where an improve-
ment is not likely to be desired by a large
group of employees occupying the same
type of quarters, the present livability
program covers many improvements com-
monly desired. Thus, employees are re-
lieved of many details required in plan-
ning and execution and the improvements
are made at a modest cost to the employee.

The livability program was developed
principally through the cooperation of
the Civic Councils. The need for such
a program was clearly evident after the
new Rainbow City houses were built.
While the houses were a vast improve-
ment over the old Camp Coiner, Camp
Bierd, and Silver City quarters, occu-
pants soon found to their dismay that
tropical downpours on the Atlantic
side came right into the weather-ex-
posed windows and ruined furniture
and interior finishes.
Later, as the housing replacement pro-
gram advanced, more employees re-
quested changes of a similar nature for
other types of quarters.
As a result of these requests, Governor
Potter asked the Civic Councils in both
the Latin American and United States
communities to canvass their constituents
and report on improvements which were
most commonly desired.
This was followed by the establishment
of a definite rental rate increase, which
is 60 cents a month for each $100 spent
on improvements.
Last year after some of the main fea-
tures of the livability program had been
outlined, the Governor appointed a spe-
cial committee to develop the program
fully. This committee is composed of
J. C. Randall, Chief of the Community
Services Division as Chairman, J. M.
Cooke, Designing Engineer, and L. B.
Magnuson, Chief of the Budget and
Rates Division.
The Livability Program Committee has
just submitted its first formal report and
a definite policy under which the program
is to be administered in the future.
The report showed that $48,550 has
been committed this year to patio im-
provements in United States towns;
$20,634 to installations of jalousies;
$4,027 for tiling; and $4,050 to kitchen
cabinets. The balance of funds will be
used for additional tile work, patio ex-

Above: Glass louvres which let in the light but keep out the rain in the
home of Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Detamore. Here, daughter Kathy takes a look.

Second from top: Worker prepares to pour concrete for patio addition and side-
walk at the home of Mr. and Mrs. W. B. Perry, of 5775-B, Diablo Heights.

Third from top: Claudette Sawyer relaxes in the basement of her home in Par-
aiso. Paving of basements has provided extra utility and recreation space.

At far left: Hot water heaters are an important part of the livability program.
This is one of the many which were installed recently in housing in Paraiso.

At left: This new sidewalk not only connects the patio to the front of their house
but also makes a play-place for the Walter Allen children, of Diablo Heights.

tensions, and other patio improvements.
The Committee is returning to U. S.-
citizen occupants all requests for im-
provements on which no action was pos-
sible during this fiscal year due to the
limited funds available They, along with
others who may be interested, are being
requested to re-submit their requests for
work to be considered during the coming
fiscal year. Requests will be received in
the Housing Offices during the period
between March 15 and April 1, 1959.
Those occupants who have received quar-
ters improvements may submit their re-
quests for additional items; however,
preference will probably be given to those
who have not benefited under this year's
program.
New forms will be attached to those
being returned for revision and re-sub-
mission. Other occupants interested may
obtain the form at the Housing Office or
submit their request by letter.
Only those requests received during
the period of March 15 to April 1 will
be considered in the preliminary plan-
ning. Action on subsequent requests will
depend upon the availability of funds.
In the Latin American communities,
$20,000 has been earmarked for jalous-
ies; $39,800 for water heaters; and $3,600
has been spent on basement paving.
While the livability program has been
widely publicized, there are many em-
ployees who are not fully informed on

its scope. The Livability Program Com-
mittee has now outlined the general fea-
tures of the program and developed a
policy statement under which it will be
administered. Because of the widespread
interest in the livability program, the
Committee's statement is quoted in full:
"The administration of a program of
improving livability of quarters on a
long-range basis must necessarily follow
a reasonable and sound policy. Person-
alities, friendships, ratings, grades, and
seniority wiil not enter into the execu-
tion of the program. All alterations to
quarters should be based on sound eco-
nomic principles. Many of the quarters
in the Canal Zone can be improved in
some respect or other, and the Company
gain by an improved structure, and yet
the tenant be perfectly happy about pay-
ing a higher rent for the benefits derived
from the improvement; other quarters
have reached such a state of obsolescence
and deterioration that the recovery of
the cost of improvements made now
would be doubtful or impossible. In any
event, the order in which alterations are
made must be based on a series of rules
which are predicated on a sound Com-
pany policy.
Policy
"To fulfill the desires of the tenant
within the limits of funds made avail-
able for this purpose, so long as he is
willing to pay for the improvement

involved through increased rent; that
any improvement made to the quarters
be of such character that it would be
generally acceptable to a future tenant;
that high consideration be given to
such improvements that would extend
the useful life of the quarters; that no
alterations be made to quarters that
are scheduled for demolition within
the next ten years; that rental increase
will be at the rate of 60 cents a month
per $100; that no alteration totaling
more than $1,000 be made to quarters
until such time that it is apparent that
the requested alterations costing less
than $1,000 will not exhaust the funds
then available; that improvement to
executive and officially assigned quar-
ters be given out-of-line consideration
for improvement under the program;
that an effort be made to minimize
the cost of improvements to the renter
by grouping the maximum number of
units possible of a given type of im-
provement into a single contract pack-
age; that the timing of execution of the
work, consistent with the obligation of
available funds within a given fiscal
year, be delegated to the Engineering
and Construction Director, in order
that execution of this policy be dele-
gated to a committee consisting of the
Chief, Community Services Division,
Chairman; Designing Engineer, and
the Chief, Budget and Rates Division."

In physics class
Alex Perez-Venero,
left, and Pat Tate
prove the world
really rotates
on an axis.

The "advanced achievement" sections
which were established for junior and
senior students at Balboa High School
early this school year have been so suc-
cessful that the plan is to be extended
next year to students in the high school's
sophomore class and if possible to Grade 9.
This year students in these advanced
groups have been doing speeded-up
work in solid geometry, intermediate
algebra, English, United States history,
physics, and chemistry.
Next year, advanced sections are to be
added for students in plane geometry,
sophomore English, and biology. Modern
world history may also be added to the list.
Last month school officials sat down to
discuss the program, review what has
been done so far, and see what can be
done in the future to develop what na-
tional educators call "academically tal-
ented" students. These students, who are
capable of studying abstract subjects in a
more advanced form than their classmates,
have been called the "great underdevel-
oped natural resources of the nation."
The program instituted here last fall
is in line with a recommendation from
the National Education Association fol-
lowing a conference of 200 outstanding
educators and laymen in Washington last
February. Under the chairmanship of

James B. Conant, President Emeritus of
Harvard University, this group studied
problems involved in finding and educa-
ting these pupils all over the country.
Early this year, 47 Balboa High School
students were placed in advanced
achievement classes. Some were in
only one group, some in as many as
four. Of the 47, 21 were high school
seniors and 26 were in the junior year.
By boys and girls, they split fairly
evenly-26 boys and 21 girls. Boys led,
17-9, among junior students but in the
advanced achievement sections for the
seniors, the girls outnumbered the
boys, 12 to 3. At the end of the semes-
ter, very few of the original 47 were
dropped and nine additional students
were entered in these groups.
The students were selected for the ad-
vanced achievement classes on the basis
of teacher approval, their previous school
records, and their intelligence as shown
by standard tests.
No advance publicity was given to the
advanced achievement classes and even
the students in them did not know for
about a month that the work they were
doing differed from their classmates, in
other sections of the same subjects. At
this time, the parents of each student re-
ceived a letter from T. F. Hotz, Balboa

High School principal, who told them
that their son or daughter had been
placed in one or more of the special
groups. The parents' reaction was invar-
iably favorable.
The advanced achievement students do
more work and work of a higher quality
in the special groups than would nor-
mally be expected of their contempora-
ries. They do not do work beyond their
grade level; a junior student, for instance,
does not move ahead of his grade into
senior class work.
In English, provided he is in the ad-
vanced achievement section for this sub-
ject, he writes more-and better-themes
and essays, and does more-and stiffer-
outside reading than his classmates. He
does not study any material which is in-
cluded in the senior class schedule.
Inasmuch as high schools do not
give credit hours for courses, other than
to say that the student has completed
a certain number of units in each sub-
ject, the advanced achievement stu-
dents get no extra credit for their
work. Transcripts of their grades
which are sent to the colleges they
hope to enter or to schools to which
they may transfer will, however, in-
clude a notation that they have been
in advanced achievement sections.
The advanced sections are taught by
regular teachers. One English teacher
who ordinarily is scheduled for five classes
now has four regular classes and one ad-
vanced achievement section.
These advanced sections, which are
now being added in high schools through-
out the United States are feasible, without
added cost, only in schools with fairly
large enrollment. The plan is possible
at Balboa, with an enrollment of over
1,100 but impossible-without extra ex-
penditure-at Cristobal where there is
about a third that number of students.

In the chemistry laboratory, advanced achievement students conduct experiments under the watchful eye of Walter Fischer

4 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

March 6,1959

here is COtty

only painting pumping whistle blower

"I tell people when to go to work and
when to stop," says Hugh "Scotty" Linn.
And, as whistle blower at the Cristobal
Drydock, that's exactly what he does.
Officially Mr. Linn operates the Dry-
dock's pumping plant but he is better
known to most employees as the whistle
blower because he also blows the morn-
ing, noon-day, and afternoon whistles.
His day begins at 6:30 in the morning
when he arrives at the Drydock area,
ahead of other workers, to blow the
first whistle of the day. At 6:55, he
blows the "get ready" whistle and five
minutes later the whistle that marks
the beginning of the workday. The
next whistle is at 10:55, followed by
the lunchtime signal.
At 11:55 he blows another "get ready"
whistle and follows this with the back-
to-work one at 12 o'clock. His last
whistle of the day is at 4 o'clock.
The blasts before working time are
five seconds long while the ones sig-
nalling work hours are a full ten seconds.
To blow the compressed-air whistle,
Mr. Linn pulls a brass ring, about four
inches in diameter, which is connected
to a long brass tube. Elbow grease keeps
the tube and ring bright and shiny.
In his ten years of whistle blowing,
Scotty has made only one mistake. He
pulled the ring prematurely one day

and sent everyone back to work ahead
of time. Fellow workers still remind
him of this and often suggest that he
should make a mistake in the other
direction and let them off early to
make up for his former error.
The pumping plant provides air for
the pneumatic equipment used in dry-
docking operations at Cristobal. The
monotonous sound of the machinery has
a somewhat hypnotic effect and Mr. Linn
is glad to have the responsibility of the
whistle to keep him alert.
After 10 years in the plant, his ears
are so attuned to the machinery that he
can detect trouble immediately. As he
listens with a keen ear to the whirr of
the pumps he paints safety posters. A
serious artist, he also paints as a hobby
and has won prizes in local contests.
Scotty's thick Scottish burr leaves no
doubt as to his homeland. He is a native
of Glasgow. He went to sea for a number
of years and visited many countries be-
fore he decided to settle in the Canal
Zone. On July 6, 1939 he joined the
Canal organization and has held his pres-
ent position of Engineman since August
25, 1957. He now lives at Margarita
with his wife and five children.
Mr. Linn is not the only whistle-
blower in the Canal organization but
he is probably the only painting, pump-
ing, whistle blower on the Isthmus.

Future .

Four men talked of old times, present times, and the future
when they got together here during the meeting of the
Panel of Consultants for the House Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee on the interoceanic canal plans early
last month.
Governor Potter and Lt. Gen. Leslie R. Groves, at left be-
low, had a chance to talk of their early Army Engineer days
on the Sultan survey of the Nicaraguan Canal in the late 20's;
present-day operations and problems of the Panama Canal;
and what the future holds for international commerce in the
way of a canal through the American Isthmus.
Howard T. Critchlow, Staff Director of the panel, and W.

* .
H. Esslinger, the Canal's Chief Hydrographer, at right, also
talked of past, present, and future things. Mr. Critchlow
served as Chief Hydrographer during the Canal construction
period. They are shown examining an obsolete water-stage
register to measure tides and the Canal's water supply. Hy-
drography is an important factor in the operation of the Canal
now and in the future.
Other panel members attending the conferences in the Zone
last month were Hartley Rowe, also a construction-day em-
ployee, and John E. Slater. With the panel during their visit
was Bernard J. Zincke, Counsel for the Merchant Marine and
Fisheries Committee.

Past, Present and

Secretary of Army

Amends Regulations

Governing Leave

For the first time in the history of the
Panama Canal organization, employees
are now able to "borrow" against future
leave. The change was one in a series of
amendments to the leave system which
became effective February 22, in an order
signed by Secretary of the Army Wilber
Brucker on February 17.
The "borrowing" provision of the
leave amendment enables an employee
to take leave which he has not earned
but which will accrue to him during
the current leave year, on the condi-
tion that this be "paid back" in leave
earned after he returns to work or be
refunded in cash should he resign or
be separated from the service. This
provision applies to all employees of the
organization regardless of citizenship.
Another provision applicable to all em-
ployees is the institution of a uniform
leave date, which will occur early in Jan-
uary each year. The uniform leave year
thereby created is expected to simplify
timekeeping for leave purposes and enable
the various Canal units to schedule leave
for their employees without having to
take into consideration the previous indi-
vidual service dates.
Another major change in the leave
regulation is an increase of 44 hours in
the amount of leave which non-United
States citizens can accumulate. Prior to
February 22, non-U. S. citizen employees
could accrue up to only 416 hours;
under amended regulations, these em-
ployees may accumulate leave without
restriction except for the limitation of
460 hours at the beginning of each leave
year. Also, for the first time, the leave
system becomes uniform for all non-
United States citizen employees.
Employees who are citizens of the
United States will continue to earn leave
at the rate of 324 hours per year, retain-
ing the present limitation of 720 hours
on leave accrual.
The difference in leave for United
States and non-United States citizen
employees is in line with provisions of
the 1955 Treaty and Memorandum of
Understanding between Panama and
the United States which recognizes the
eligibility for greater annual leave ben-
efits of United States citizen employ-
ees, as well as their right to home leave
travel allowances.
Home leave transportation regulations
are not affected by the new leave order.
In general, home leave continues to be
computed on the basis of an employee's
service; he is initially entitled to home
leave travel when he has completed 24
months of service with the Canal organ-
ization and to home leave at roughly two-
year intervals thereafter.
In order to provide for the transition
to the new annual service date, all limita-
tion on leave accumulation is eliminated
until next January 10. This means that
leave will not have to be reduced to the
maximum limitation until next January,
regardless of the previous individual serv-
ice date. Non-U. S. citizen employees
who had formerly been earning leave at
the rate of 324 hours per year will have
until January 1961 to reduce their leave
credit to their new maximum of 460 hours.

EXPERIENCE

HAP HAZARD
S.' '

TODAY: Experience teaches us that-
Most folks ignore it once they've gotten it.
It isn't good experience to be injured in an accident.
Many things learned by accident, we shouldn't have learned at all.
Your best friend will run over you on the highway.
When you do have an accident you have ignored experience.
It's better to keep your nose to the grindstone; if you leave, you're
liable to get knocked off by accident.
You don't need the extra feet of a new car that won't fit a garage.
To trade in your old car, you get less than what you still owe.
A good credit rating is better than the cash in your pocket.
When you accept nothing but the best you end up with nothing.
You can't live high on the hog if you don't bring home the bacon.
It really doesn't ruin a kid's personality to give him the "old fashion"
disciplinary action for a traffic violation.
Many things we used to call sin are now called experience.
When your arms become to short to hold the paper at reading distance,
you've reached the crest of the hill.
When coasting down the hill make sure your braking experiences are
in working order.

Two groups of teenage Canal Zone
school girls, one group on each side of
the Isthmus, are preparing for the 1959
Civil Defense Nurses Aid training course.
This three-part program has become an
extremely popular activity and is looked
forward to each year with interest.
On the Atlantic side, 22 girls have reg-
istered with Miss Florence Edbrooke,
Chief Nurse at Coco Solo Hospital, who
is in charge of the training program over
there. On the Pacific side, applications
have been accepted from a considerably
larger number but the class will be cut
to not more than 25 persons.
The Balboa Lions Club will sponsor
the Pacific side group, and has named
Mrs. Charlotte Kennedy as their repre-
sentative in this program. The Lions will
provide the uniforms for the group and
assist in arranging transportation and
other details. Others on the Pacific com-
mittee are Miss Beatrice Simonis and
Miss Marie Weir. The first part of the
course, the lecture series, will start after
the Easter vacation on the Pacific side.
First aid will be the first part of the At-
lantic side program.
Thirty-six Company-Government em-
ployees took a two-day course in radio-
logical defense at the Fort Clayton Dis-
aster Control School. These trainees will
be charged with the duty of radiological
defense (RADEF) in the official Civil
Defense Corps under E. M. Browder, Jr.
Radiological Defense Officer. Another
two-day (two morning sessions) class will
be given on March 23 and 24 as a re-
fresher course for the group which re-
ceived training the past two years.
William Gordon, Civil Defense Instruc-
tor, announced that 50 persons have
registered for first aid training in the
town of Paraiso. Classes to be held every
week-day night will begin this month.

VOLUNTEER CORPS MEETINGS

Worth knowing

New insurance benefits. A 10 percent increase has been made in
the miscellaneous hospital benefits paid to employees under the
Group Hospitalization plan, it was announced late last month.
The coverage under this clause is for such charges as X-rays,
medicines, ambulance service, oxygen, and similar services.
Employees received last month a notice with their pay checks
from the Group Health Insurance Board that increased medical
tariffs would be covered without an increase in premiums. In a
revision of the underwriting agreement with Mutual of Omaha,
another important improvement in the Hospital Insurance plan
has been obtained, the announcement said. This provides for the
removal from the insurance contract, effective February 1, of the
clause which had excluded coverage for hospitalization for con-
genital diseases or defects.

Organization directory. A list of organized employee activities,
such as women's clubs, veteran organizations, professional, social,
and recreational groups, and athletic clubs, will be included in the
New Employees Manual being prepared by the Personnel Bureau.
All Canal Zone organizations to be listed should send names and
addresses promptly to the Personnel Bureau, Box 504, Balboa
Heights.

ROTC building completed. Members of the Reserve Officers Train-
ing Corps Unit in Balboa started using their brand new head-
quarters building last month. Work on the new $87,000 structure

was completed by the Panama contracting firm of Diaz and
Guardia in February when the building was formally accepted by
the Panama Canal Company. The building is an under-one-roof
construction of three one-story masonry buildings. The head-
quarters has two classrooms, an air-conditioned audio-visual room,
an office, armory, and supply room.

Air conditioning. Final tests were being made this week on the
air-conditioning system which is to make the Administration Build-
ing at Balboa Heights a cooler, more comfortable place to work.
The extensive piping, the installation of hundreds of vents, and
the testing of the machinery which makes the new system work
was completed late in February with operational tests taking place
during the last week in the month. The operation of the new
system was initiated on a floor-to-floor basis. The installation of
lighting fixtures and other work included in the modernization
project, are now being completed. Interior painting of the Admin-
istration Building will be started soon on another contract. The
work will be done one floor at a time.

Tax office reopening. Canal Zone tax payers are being reminded
that the Internal Revenue Office, which occupies Room 300 in the
Civil Affairs Building, will reopen March 9 when Andrew Gerda,
Internal Revenue Office Representative, arrives on the Isthmus.
The. office will then be open continuously until after the Canal
Zone tax payment deadline which falls on April 15. Trygve J.
Johnson, another Internal Revenue Agent who was here earlier
this year, will join Mr. Gerda early in April.

Date Town
MARCH
Iz Rainbow City
12 Santa Cruz
x6 Paraiso
APRIL
I Margarita

School

Hour
6:30 p. m.

Two photographs, taken by Charles McG. Brandi, Assistant Chief of the Civil Engineering Branch, and fitted tc

TO BUILD A BRIDGE

Much thought and planning,
millions of dollars,
many persons, involved
in construction of structure
which will link
northern and southern
m hemispheres

This is how Fourth of July Avenue will look near the J Street intersection.

Elmer B. Stevens, Resident Engineer
8 ^ March 6, 195

her, along with architect's rendering by Felipe K. Ben, Jr., Architect, show how the completed bridge will look.

During the next three years Isthmians will have a grand-
stand seat for the construction of a bridge which will become
one of the notable structures of the world.
Actual construction on the Canal bridge project got under
way at the first of this year and most of the plans and drawings
are now down in black and white. THE CANAL REVIEW pre-
sents in this issue, by picture and drawing, the principal fea-
,tures of the project from the famous "J" Street intersection
to the bridge's connecting link with Thatcher Highway on
the west side of the Canal where earth moving equipment is
slicing away Farfan Hill for the new west approach.
This pictorial preview was made possible by the skill and
help of the Canal's Official Photographer and personnel in the
Engineering Division.
The second major construction contract for the Canal bridge,
construction of the east approach, was awarded last month
to Bildon, Inc., at a total cost of $897,515. Formal signing of
the contract took place February 17 in Governor Potter's office.
Other current developments of interest in connection with
the bridge are:
The announcement of the appointment of Elmer B. Stevens
as Resident Engineer by Lt. Col. Robert D. Brown, Jr., En-
gineering and Construction Director;
A scheduled meeting of the Board of Consultants on the
bridge this month; and
Plans for the advertisement for bids on the bridge sub-
structure and superstructure.
Before his appointment as Resident Engineer, Mr. Stevens
had been Chief of the Structural Branch in the Engineering
Division. He has been working on bridge plans since the
project was authorized and was in charge of preparing the
first preliminary plans and cost estimates.
The Resident Engineer will have an office and staff at the
bridge site in Engineering and Construction Building 911, the
former La Boca Commissary.
The Board of Consultants is scheduled to have its third
meeting on the Isthmus next Thursday. At this time mem-
bers will review the draft of final plans and specifications for
the substructure and superstructure. Contracts for this work

Farlan Hill looked likethis last month as earth-moving equip-__
ment began to slice it away for the west bridge approach.-0

will be the two largest to be awarded for the project.
The Consultants' meeting will be attended by a represent-
ative of Sverdrup & Parcel, Inc., the St. Louis Engineering
firm designing the bridge and preparing plans.
Members of the Board are: Roland P. Davis, Dean Emer-
itus of the University of West Virginia; Ralph A. Tudor, of
Atherton, Calif., a member of the Panama Canal Company
Board of Directors; Edward A. Burwell, Jr., of Upperville, Va.,
retired Chief Geologist of the Office of the Chief of Engineers;
William A. Bugge, Director of the Department of Highways
of the State of Washington; and Aymar Embury II, Archi-
tect, of New York.
It is presently planned to advertise for bids for the con-
struction of the bridge substructure April 15 and open bids
June 16. The advertisement for bids on the manufacture and
erection of the steel superstructure will start in about six
months with the contract to be awarded this calendar year.

March 6, 1959 9

New world

opens up

for Laura

"Can you spell your name for us,
Laura?" Miss Lillian Baird asked the
little first-grader with the big eyes.
Laura's chubby hand fairly flew into
the recesses of her desk, came up with
a box filled with blunt -pointed, small-
headed nails and an oblong piece of wood
which looked something like an oversize
cribbage board.
While the fingers of her left hand fol-
lowed along the lines of holes, Laura's
right hand began to fit the nails into
them. In less than a minute, she raised
a smiling face. Miss Baird looked down.
"Yes," she said. "Laura, that's it."
Then Laura began to read for her vis-
itors. As her fingers moved over holes
punched in small cards, she announced
proudly that this word was cat and this
one dog, and that this group made a
whole sentence which told about "Puff"
and "Sally."
Laura is a pupil at the Balboa ele-
mentary school. Laura is also a sight-
less child.
Today, she is learning to read and
write in Braille, and a whole new world
is opening up for her.
Laura is one of the Canal Zone children
who are receiving special help through
the Program for Handicapped Children.
She is doing so well that probably, later
on, she will be able to attend some of her
higher grades in the same room with her
classmates.
Right now, Miss Baird is punching
Laura's Braille cards herself. This, and
other helps for sightless children, she
learned during a semester of work at

Laura's fingers fly as she spells out her name in Braille for Miss Lillian Baird.

Wayne University in Detroit last spring.
Miss Baird teaches Laura and her
sightless roommates in a bright, colorful
room at the Balboa school. The gay
decorations may seem a waste of effort
and money in a room for children who
cannot appreciate them, but drab walls
and dark colors absorb what light these
children can perceive. The classroom
furniture is not bolted to the floor but
it is kept in the same position, day after
day, so that the children can find their
way around.
One piece of equipment which seems
incongruous in this classroom is a large
easel, on which Laura and her roommates
fingerpaint with as much enthusiasm as
if they could see what they are doing.
Nor do crayons seem necessary for these
youngsters.
But, Miss Baird explains, fingerpaint-
ing and coloring are tried and true
methods with which small children

blow off steam. Furthermore, by paint-
ing and coloring they are sharing ex-
periences with the classmates they
meet on the playground and whom
they will some day join.
One of the most important things
which these children must learn is di-
rection. Up and down, right and left
have no meaning for them; they have
to be specially taught. So, more than
other teachers, Miss Baird must empha-
size, "a little farther to the right, Laura.
Move your board up a little."
At the present time, the children with
whom Miss Baird is working all come
within the technical and legal definition
of blindness. Later, if there is need, she
will also be able to work with children
with what are known as "visual impair-
ments." Such children would be taught
in sight-saving classes, protected from too
much close eye-work, and helped by spe-
cial techniques and special equipment.

Personnel Experts Visit Canal Zone
Just before the new Canal Zone Merit
S. System went into effect last month,
personnel experts from the United
States and the Canal Zone conferred
here. In addition, the visitors inspected
Canal Zone communities, schools, re-
tail stores, conferred with labor panels.
The experts from the United States,
all of whom are seated in the accom-
panying photograph are, from left:
,a 'ii .Joseph E. Winslow, Administrative As-
sistant to Rocco Siciliano; Mr. Siciliano,
Special Assistant to the President as
advisor for personnel management;
Warren Irons, Executive Director of the
U. S. Civil Service Commission; and
.t Robert Willey, Personnel Director for
the Department of the Army.
.Local personnel experts, all members
of the Canal Zone Civilian Policy Coor-
dinating Board are standing, from left:
Edward A. Doolan, Personnel Director,
Panama Canal Company; Col. David
B. Stone, Caribbean Command, Chair-
man of the Board; Commander R. A.
Sexton, 15th Naval District; Edward
Kieloch, Air Force; Robert Donley,
Personnel Director, USARCARIB; and
Gordon Frick, Secretary of the Board.
10 March 6, 1959

Canal's

old gray "mules"

to be replaced by larger, more powerful
locks locomotives with two towing winches

The major locomotive manufacturing
firms in the United States soon will be in-
vited to submit bids for the replacement
of the Panama Canal's "electric mules."
The replacement program, first sched-
uled in 1956, will be the largest single
replacement order ever to be placed for
Canal equipment, despite a major reduc-
tion in the number of towing locomotives
to be bought from that originally sched-
uled. Manufacturers will be asked to
bid on 45 locomotives and three cranes
for normal operations, as compared with
57 locomotives and three cranes for which
bids were received three years ago. An
additional six or seven may be bought for
use when relay lockages are required.
The reduced number of towing loco-
motives to handle the same number

use of two-towline locomotives had
been considered previously, the first
practical test of such a system was
possible only after purchase of the ex-
perimental locomotives.
The locomotives to be bought under
the new contract, scheduled to be awarded
during the latter half of this year, will
differ radically in appearance from those
which have been familiar on the Lock
walls since the Canal was opened. They
will have a longer wheelbase and present
a more streamlined appearance. This lat-
ter condition will be dictated largely by
the use of the double towing winch sys-
tem and the critical need for good visi-
bility fore and aft by the operators.
The new machines will be more than
twice as powerful as the present "mules"

SA

The difference in size between the present towing locomotives and the replace-
ments is shown by this combination of drawing superimposed on photograph.

of ships will be made possible by the
use of two towing winches on each
machine, increased power, and other
technical improvements.
Final specifications for the new towing-
locomotive order are now being com-
pleted following cancellation of the Pan-
ama Canal Company's option to buy
towing devices patterned after the ex-
perimental units purchased from the R.
G. LeTourneau firm. A year's testing of
these devices has shown that the fender
boom cannot be successfully adapted to
Canal use without causing an unaccept-
able reduction in the usable width of
the Locks.
An important innovation tested with
the LeTourneau devices, and a feature
strongly advocated since 1955 by Carl
Girous of the Office of the Chief of
Engineers-the use of two-line tow-
ing-has proved highly satisfactory
with locomotives operating on opposite
lock walls. The LeTourneau prototypes
were originally designed to operate only
from the center wall and were later
changed so that they could be used as
a pair on opposite walls. Although the

with each winch capable of pulling
35,000 pounds in any towing position,
as compared with the 25,000-pound
pull of locomotives in use. The winches
will be mounted on the lower side in-
stead of atop the locomotives and will
be equipped with fairleads to hold tow-
ing cables away from the lock walls.
They will be level-winding winches to
prevent cable overlays and snarls.
They will be powered by 440-volt al-
ternating current, with each set of trucks
driven by separate electric motors. Tests
made at Miraflores Locks during recent
months indicate that 440-volt 60-cycle
current can replace 220-volt 25-cycle
without danger of electrical faults.
The increased speed of the new ma-
chines will be an important factor in
increasing the number of lockages pos-
sible in a day. The locomotives will be
able to tow at one, two, or three miles
an hour, and have return speeds of six
and nine miles per hour. The present
locomotives tow at one or two miles an
hour and have a top return speed of five
miles an hour.
Because of the many changes to be

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW 11

incorporated in the new locomotives,
the successful bidder will be required
to provide a full-scale wood mock-up
of the entire machine for inspection
prior to beginning actual manufacture.
The delivery of the first of the new
locomotives will not be scheduled until
about 14 months after the award is made.
It is planned to have eight or nine loco-
motives delivered in one order, sufficient
for the east lane of traffic at Gatun Locks.
This will be followed by later deliveries,
for the west lane at Gatun, those for
Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks, and
the extra locomotives for relay lockages.
The three locomotive cranes to be pur-
chased will be of the same general design
as the new towing locomotives. Each
will be equipped with 10-ton cranes with
one-ton boom horizontal lifting capacity.
The electric traction units for the cranes
will be manufactured for interchangeabil-
ity with the traction units of the towing
locomotives.
The order for the new towing locomo-
tives will amount to several million dol-
lars and more manufacturers have already
evinced interest than the number of bid-
ders when the replacement order was
first considered in 1956. Only three
heavy-equipment manufacturers entered
offers for the manufacture of 57 locomo-
tives specified in the invitations to bid
three years ago.

OUR COVER
One of the scenes most familiar
to the Isthmian motorist is the busy
street intersection at "The Limits."
Our cover shows how it and Fourth
of July Avenue will look when the
east bridge approach work is com-
pleted. The aerial view was photo-
graphed by C. S. LaClair, Official
Photographer. The exceptional pan-
oramic drawing was done by Felipe
K. Ben, Jr., of the Engineering Divi-
sion. The small picture below shows
the scene as it was at the middle of
February and the material with
which Mr. Ben had to work.

March 6,1959

From frying pan

to deepfreeze
Edward Barlow, formerly controlhouse
supervisor at Miraflores Locks, was re-
cently named Chief of the Operations Di-
vision of the St.
Lawrence Seaway
Development Cor-
poration. In his
new job, he is re-
sponsible for lock
operations, ship
dispatching, and
minor lock mainte-
nance of the new
seaway.
Mr. Barlow is one of two former em-
ployees who hold important positions
with the seaway. The other is Adm. H.
H. McLean, formerly Marine Superinten-
dent. His post is that of Marine Con-
sultant to the Seaway's Administrator
and Assistant Administrator. Admiral
McLean was stationed here from Sep-
tember 1946 to April 1947.
In his new post, Mr. Barlow is en-
countering difficulties which never beset
him in the 36 years he spent with the
Panama Canal's Locks Division. In a
recent Associated Press story, he de-
scribed his shift from the tropical Canal
Zone to the not-so-temperate northern
section of New York State as "jumping
out of the frying pan into a deep freeze."

HUMIDITY FOILED
Powder prevents
stuck-up stamps

If your letters smell faintly of lilac
these days, causing your fancy to
turn to thoughts of romance, calm
yourself. It's probably not the let-
ters at all, it's just the stamp.
Stamps dispensed by Service Cen-
ter vending machines come in large
sheets and must be separated and
placed in small cardboard folders be-
fore they are packed in the machines.
Due to the high humidity in the
tropics the glue sometimes becomes
damp and sticky and the stamps ad-
here to the cardboard. To prevent
this each stamp is now being sprink-
eled lightly with talcum powder-
as Stella Straker is doing above-
before it is folded into the cardboard.
The post offices in the Canal Zone
also sometimes use talcum powder
when packing large orders of stamps.

50 Years Ago

The first concrete in the Canal proper
was poured at the Gatun Dam spillway
on St. Patrick's Day, 50 years ago this
month. In the first day, 122 cubic yards
were laid. When the plant reached its
full capacity, THE CANAL RECORD said,
it would turn out between 300 and 400
cubic yards of concrete every 9-hour
working day.
At Pedro Miguel, the excavation had
progressed to the point where the outline
of the locks and dam was evident. Concrete
pouring was to begin in August.
Meanwhile, the March 1909 excava-
tion broke all records with a total of
3,880,337 cubic yards. The daily average
was 143,716 cubic yards, highest since
the United States began the Canal work.
In his inaugural address, President
William Howard Taft told the nation:
"The Panama Canal will have a most im-
portant bearing upon the eastern and far
western sections of our country and will
greatly increase the facilities between the
eastern and western seaboards." He urged
his listeners to "stand behind the men who
are doing faithful hard work to bring about
the early completion of the greatest
constructive enterprise of modern times."
Speaking in Chicago and coming out
flatly in favor of a lock canal, Col. G. W.
Goethals outlined the Canal's history,
told how its type had been determined,
said the lock canal would cost $475,201,-
000-including its purchase price plus
the cost of sanitation and civil govern-
ment. He estimated that a sea-level
canal would have cost $563,000,000, in-
cluding sanitation and government.

25 Years Ago

The Panama Canal's traffic was really
picking up, 25 years ago this month.
The Panama Canal net tonnage of the
538 commercial vessels which transited
during March 1934, was the highest of
any month of March since the opening
of the Canal, THE PANAMA CANAL REC-
ORD announced with pride. Tonnage for
March 1934, totaled 2,703,372 tons; the
.previous high March net tonnage oc-
curred in 1929 when measurement tons
totaled 2,567,961.
Another record set in March 1934, was
that on the Thatcher Ferry. During the
month the ferry carried 20,455 vehicles and
111,450 passengers, the largest monthly
total of each during the ferry's history.
Pier 15 at Balboa was condemned when
21 cracked caissons made it unsafe. Re-
pairs would cost close to half a million
dollars, but no funds were available.
Zonians who had been cheered by the
Senate vote to restore their 15 percent pay
cut were less jubilant when they learned
that a Senate-House conference had cut
the restoration by five percent. Zonians
would get lack a third of their slashed pay

on February 1, another third on July 1,
and the remaining third at the discretion
of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Several events of international import-
ance occurred 25 years ago this month.
The Republic of Panama declined to
accept the annual check for $250,000 for
the Canal annuity and asked payment
in gold. A few days later, Panama offi-
cials let it be known that they wanted
control of street cleaning and garbage
collection operations in the Republic.
And still later in the month the Panama
Society of International Action presented
a request for revision of the 1903 Treaty
to the President of the United States
and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives.

10 Years Ago

A year-old order increasing the Pan-
ama Canal tolls to $1 per ton for laden
vessels was postponed by Presidential
proclamation 10 years ago this month.
The postponement, the third, was until
September 1, to allow the House Mer-
chant Marine Committee to make a "full
and complete study of proper tolls levels."
Also in March, 1949, the Hoover
Commission recommended that the Pan-
ama Canal, along with Puerto Rico, Guam,
Hawaii, etc., be placed under the proposed
"Administration of Overseas Affairs."
Two bills to establish a new minimum
wage of 75 cents an hour in the Canal
Zone were presented to Congress in
March 1949. Sponsor of one bill was Rep.
Vito Marcantonio of New York. Rep.
Donald O'Toole, also of New York, pre-
sented the second bill two days later.
Max Brodsky, regional director of Local
713. UPWA-CIO, left the Isthmus after
the Republic of Panama canceled his tem-
porary residence permit. Before his de-
parture, the labor group held a protest rally
at DeLesseps Park on the Zone border.
A well-known Canal Zonian moved
into one of the top spots in the Canal
administration when Eugene C. Lom-
bard was appointed Executive Secretary,
third man to hold this post.
In Washington, two local labor leaders,
Thomas Richardson representing the UP-
WA-CIO and Rufus M. Lovelady, of the
AFGE, told the House Appropriations sub-
committee that housing in the Canal Zone
was deplorable, antiquated, and should be
replaced.

One Year Ago

Consultants to the House Subcommit-
tee on Panama Canal affairs visited the
Canal Zone in March 1958, to look into
plans to increase the waterway's capac-
ity. Meanwhile, the Panama Canal Com-
pany retained the well-known New York
engineering firm of Parsons, Brinckerhoff,
Hall & Macdonald to update plans and
estimates prepared 12 years earlier dur-
ing the Isthmian Canal studies of 1947.

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW March 6, 1959

THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW

March 6,1959

LA BOCA

New Town Rising
on Old Site

The revival of La Boca as a Canal
Zone community is starting this year
with the installation of a new street and
municipal facilities, and construction of
five masonry houses.
The site of the new construction is on
La Boca Road just east of the former
Commissary. The work is being done by
the Engineering Corporation, Inc., of
Panama. The firm was awarded the con-
tract at a cost of $211,838 early in Jan-
uary, with a time limit of 180 days for
completion.
The work done up to now consists
mainly in ground preparation and street
work. The group of houses will be ac-
cessible only from La Boca Road over the
new street being built to replace Marti-
nique Street which ran in front of the
Commissary.
The new community is scheduled for
completion during the fiscal year 1961
when it will have 33 one-family and 30
duplex houses. The proposed street-
plan provides for one main circular
street connected at each end with Bal-
boa Road and a principal street which
will cut diagonally across the center of
the community. The houses will be
located on these and several short,
dead-end streets.
The homes being erected in La Boca
this year are replacements for family
units in Balboa which are to be demol-
ished for the construction of the bridge.
The principal quarters construction in
the revived town will come during the
next two years. A total of $1,440,000
has been budgeted for new construction
and townsite development in La Boca
during the coming fiscal year when 45
family apartments are to be built. The
community is to be finished the following
year with the building of 41 apartments.
The quarters construction program at
La Boca is a major part of the overall
building program provided in the Master
Plan for housing on the Pacific side dur-
ing the next few years. The Master
Housing Plan, described in last August's
issue of THE CANAL REVIEW, calls for
the elimination of all substandard hous-
ing for the permanent U. S. citizen em-
ployees of the Canal organization.
New construction is planned only on
the Pacific side since the requirements for
quarters on the Atlantic side have been
met by the recent transfer of quarters at

Some of the new houses to be built

, -

Rare, Medium, or Well Done ?

"Take the whole leg of a steer," begins the recipe that Joseph
S. Wallace passes on to housewives who would like to cook a
roast like the one that adorns the Sunday night buffet at the Tiv-
oli Guest House.
This mountain of tender succulent roast beef is called a "Steam-
ship Roast." Just where it gets its name no one seems to know,
but Steamship Roasts and Sunday night buffets at the Tivoli are
synonymous to many Zonians.
For those who would like to know just how the roast is cooked
to get such appetizing results, Mr. Wallace, who is Catering
Manager at the Tivoli, gives this recipe:
Place a leg of choice U. S. beef, weighing between 80 and
100 pounds, in a shallow pan and cook for six hours in oven set
at 225 degrees. Turn the meat and cook six more hours. Since
an approximately one-inch layer of fat surrounds the beef, it bastes
itself as the fat slowly melts. No other basting is necessary.
That's all there is to it. Carve it and you have roast beef to
please all guests whether they like it rare, medium, or well done
and there's enough to serve 200 people.

Coco Solo and France Field. In addition
to the La Boca houses, quarters will be
built in Ancon and Balboa under the
Master Plan.
While not a part of the La Boca
townsite development, the new gaso-
line service station is to be built on
La Boca Road only a short distance
from the new houses. A contract for
this work has been awarded to Dillon
Construction Company, low bidder for
the job with an offer of $60,000. Bids
for this work were opened the middle
of last month.
The new service station will replace

in La Boca will follow this

the one now located on Mindi Street. It
is scheduled for completion within about
six months.
The new gasoline station will provide
a modernized service for motorists similar
to the larger service stations in the United
States. This will include a small sales
store for batteries and other accessories,
and provision for car washing, tire chang-
ing, and battery rental.

Joint Service Crusade
Now Under Way In Zone

Sealed envelopes containing contri-
butions to the Federal Service Joint
design. Crusade are beginning to flow into
:- local banks. The banks will open the
envelopes and credit the contents of
each to the agencies in the campaign.
These are: CARE, Crusade for Free-
dom and the American Korean Foun-
dation, gifts for which are made in
one envelope, and the Canal Zone
Chapter of the National Tuberculosis
Foundation, which has its own en-
velope.
The campaign opened February 23
and will close April 4. Approximately
500 keymen in the Canal organization
distributed materials on the campaign
and envelopes for the contributions
throughout Canal units within the
past 10 days. No quotas have been set
and no payroll deductions are being
made.

ANNIVERSARIES

1- 35 YEARS-

"Panama Canal Review" readers can
join its staff this month in congratulating
on his significant service date, one of the
men responsible for its month-by-month ap-
pearance for the past nine years.

25 YEARS
Two of the six employees who reached
the quarter-century mark in service during
last month are natives of the Canal Zone.
All but one have continuous Canal service.
The Canal Zone natives are Mrs. Mar-
cella G. Green, Clerical Assistant in the
Division of Schools; and David J. Burkett,
Dipper Dredge Mate in the Dredging Di-
vision. Both were born in Ancon.
Mrs. Green came to the Canal organiza-
tion as a clerk in the Division of Schools
and most of her service has been with that
division.
All of Mr. Burkett's service has been with
the Dredging Division where he was first
employed as an artisan, February 27, 1934.
Others whose service with the Canal or-
ganization is continuous are listed below:
Walter R. Fender, Steam Engineer II
with the Terminals Division, is a native of
Southgate, Ky. He began work for the
Canal organization October 12, 1942, as a
clerk-typist with what was then the Supply
Department.
Marie V. Hayes, Telephone Operator of
the New York Office of the Panama Canal
Company, completed 25 years of unbroken
service with the Company on February 15.
Robert B. Sager has had continuous serv-
ice with the Engineering Division. He first
came to work for the Canal as a structural
designer with the unit when it was desig-
nated as the Office Engineering Division.
His present position is Structural Engineer.
Bristolville, Ohio, is Mr. Sager's home town.
Manuel A. Smith, whose service is not
continuous, is a Texan, born in El Paso.
He has held several different jobs including
photographer, civil engineer, and survey and
cartographic engineer. Mr. Smith is present-
ly employed as Meteorological Aid in the
Meteorological and Hydrographic Branch.
20 YEARS
Six men, two with continuous service,
were added last month to the list of em-
ployees who have chalked up 20 years of
Government service.
Frederick W. Holmberg, of Milbury,
Mass., Customs Inspector, has continuous
service which has all been with the Cus-
toms Division. He first came to work for
the Canal as a customs guard.
Rudolph W. Rubelli is a native of Phil-
adelphia, Pa. He began his service, which
has all been with the Navigation Division,
as a towboat master. He is now a Panama
Canal pilot.
The four 20-year men whose service is
not continuous are listed alphabetically:
G. Clair Lawrence, of Carlisle, Pa., is a

MAN OF THE MONTH

He is John Barthold Coffey who
holds the title of Printing Press Group
Chief of the Panama Canal Printing Plant.
Although he was born in Jersey. City, he
can claim more years here than most native-
born Zonians. He arrived on the Isthmus
before his first birthday and attended Colon
and Canal Zone schools, joining the Print-
ing Plant staff for the first time in Feb-
ruary 1920. His first vacation job was as
"boy" but he later learned the printer's trade
from the bottom up. He was promoted to his
present position, second in the organiza-
tion, in December 1956.
Although he keeps an eagle eye on printing
problems for "The Review" and countless
other typographical jobs while on duty,
much of his attention in outside hours is
devoted to boating and fishing. He owns
a boat and is Commodore of the Cristobal
Yacht Club.

Relief Chauffeur with the Motor Transpor-
tation Division. He is an alternate driver
for the Governor-President.
Oliver G. Paterson, Automotive Machin-
ist with the Motor Transportation Division,
has spent all of his 20 years of Canal service
in transportation. He is a native of Wol-
laston, Mass., and began work for the Canal
February 6, 1939 as an apprentice with the
Motor Transportation Division.
Howard J. Toland is a Policeman with the
Police Division. Mr. Toland was first em-
ployed in the Canal organization on New
Year's Day 1942. His home town is Wash-
ington, Pa.
Walter C. Watts has served his entire 20
years with the Locks Division where he
began his Canal employment as a machin-
ist. His present position is General Me-
chanical Foieman III. Mr. Watts was born
in Elkridge, Md.
15 YEARS
Fifteen employees celebrated 15 years of
service during February. Six women, rep-
resenting six different divisions, are among
those listed. The women, their home towns,
and their jobs are:
Mrs. Dorris L. Chollar, of Gunsight, Tex.,
Library Assistant in the Canal Zone Li-
brary; Lydia Czapek, Crawford, N. J.,
General Illustrator, Engineering Division;
Mrs. Dorothy S. Leach, Gulfport, Miss.,
Clerk-Typist, Electrical Division; Mrs.
Edith Mathieson, Mulberry, Ark., Clerk-
Stenographer, Customs Division; Mrs.
Helen McKeown, Brooklyn, N. Y., Sup-
ervisory Accounting Assistant, Payroll
Branch; and Katherine Taliercio, Cass,
W. Va., Staff Nurse at Gorgas Hospital.
Two policemen and a native-born Zonian
are among February's 15-year men. The
policemen are H. W. Dempsey, Sr., of
Munford, Ala.; and James L. Dunn, New
York, N. Y. The Canal Zone native is
Armando Cruz, Boilermaker in the Indus-
trial Division who was born at Camp Gail-
lard, an early-day Army post.
Other 15-year men are: Roscoe S. Bur-
gess, of DeSoto Mo., Wood and Steel Car
Inspector; Joseph W. Casey, Columbus,
Ohio, Armature Winder Foreman, Electri-
cal Division; Everett H. Lippincott, Calis-
toga, Calif., Guard, Customs Division;
Thomas C. Robertson, El Paso, Tex., Elec-
trical Distribution Foreman in the Electri-
cal Division; Lawrence J. Ryan, New York,
N. Y., Wireman, Electrical Division; and
James F. Sherer, of Bucyrus, Ohio, Oper-
ator Mechanic Foreman, Power Branch.

54 YEARS
First to receive a diamond-set
service pin in January was William
Jump, the Industrial Division's
Timekeeper. The honor came from
his seniority in service, having accu-
mulated at that time all but a few
days of a 54-year record when
handed his pin and service certifi-
cate by the Canal Company's Board
Chairman, George H. Roderick.
His anniversary of 54 years of
continuous service came on Feb-
ruary i. His name has also headed
the "Canal Review's" anniversary
list now for several years since all
those with 40 or more years of
service are listed year-by-year.
With -the Civil Service retirement
provisions now extended to all em-
ployees, Mr. Jump can now lay
claim to the all-time longest con-
tinuous service record in the Canal
organization. Under existing retire-
ment regulations, no employee could
better or equal his record.
A native of Gorgona, Canal Zone,
Mr. Jump started his Canal career
at the age of 15 with the Mechan-
ical (now Industrial) Division, and
all of his service has been with
that unit.

January Correction
The CANAL REVIEW mistakenly changed
jobs for two of January's 15-year men.
They didn't, and are still working at their
same jobs: Donald H. Secrest as Window-
Clerk in the Postal Division, and Waldemar
Zirkman as Lock Operator in the Locks
Division.

FROM CRISTOBAL
Ancon ..............-----------------------_ March 5
Cristobal_ _. March 14
Ancon -....-.--... ....--. March 21
FROM NEW YORK
Cristobal ------.....---------------. March 6
Ancon ------..... -----------------..........March 13
Cristobal -------............... March 24
Ancon .--------------------- March 31
Southbound ships which leave New York Friday
are in Haiti the following Tuesday. Those which sail
from New York Tuesday spend Saturday in Haiti.
Northbound, the ships stop in Haiti two days after
clearing Cristobal: Monday for those which sail from
Cristobal Saturday, and Friday for those which clear
Cristobal Wednesday.

14 THE PANAMA CANAL REVIEW Mcrch 6, 1959

M MEMORIES

- revived

by souvenirs of construction days

Memories of Construction Days-gala
Tivoli dances, and Canal Zone auctions-
are brought to mind by the souvenirs of
by-gone days which Mrs. Daniel Wright,
of St. Petersburg, Fla., has contributed
to the Canal Zone Library-Museum.
Oldtimers and students of the early
history of the Canal will be particularly
interested in a silver bon-bon dish which
is believed to have belonged to the De-
Lesseps household during the French con-
struction period. The dish, which Mrs.
Wright bought at a Balboa auction many
years ago, soon will be placed on display
at the Canal Zone Museum in the Civil
Affairs Building along with other items
contributed by old timers.
A formal gown which Mrs. Wright
wore to a Tivoli Ball in the early 1900's
is another interesting item she donated.
The dress of flowered crepe de Chine
closely resembles the empire styles of
today and though tattered and faded
gives a good idea of what was worn by
the well-dressed lady of 1910.
Colonel and Mrs. Wright came to the
Canal Zone June 6, 1904 when Colonel

Edelin Price, whose great-great-grand-
father came to the Isthmus in 1860,
is holding a silver dish dating from
the French construction period which
was recently donated to the Museum.

Wright was employed as a rodman with
the Panama Railroad. Later he served
as Municipal Engineer.
Articles which Mrs. Wright has sent
to the Museum are souvenirs she collected
between 1904 and May 31, 1921 when
they left the Isthmus.
Other items include a silver candlela-
brum, also bought at a Balboa auction,
and several favors from early-day parties.
One of the more interesting of the souve-
nirs is a Panama Railroad spike fashioned
into a letter opener.
Mrs. Wright became interested in the
Museum when she and Colonel Wright
returned to the Zone for the observance
of the Roosevelt Centennial. Several
other oldtimers who came down at this
time brought along programs, favors,
and various small mementos which
they contributed to the Museum.
Such items are needed for the Con-
struction Days display and anyone who
has mementos which he would like to
contribute should get in touch with Mrs.
Eleanor Burnham, Curator of the Mu-
seum, who will provide packing and ship-
ping information.

New Record
Canal traffic for ocean-going commer-
cial ships set a record for daily average
transits in February and would have
broken the monthly traffic record had
February been two days longer. The
daily average transits was 28.29, com-
pared to 26.65 for the previous record
month of January. On February 16, 35
ocean-going commercial ships made the
Canal transit, three below the all-time
record of 38 commercial transits set
October 26, 1934.
Grace Liner Conversion
Two Grace Line C-2 type freighters,
the Santa Leonor and Santa Eliana, which
are to be converted to lift-on, lift-off
container vessels, are scheduled to arrive
at the Canal from the U. S. West Coast
early in April en route to Baltimore where
the conversion work will be started by
the Maryland Shipbuilding & Drydock
Company.
Each vessel will be lengthened approx-
imately 45 feet and will have a capacity
of 382 containers below decks and 94 on
deck. Each will have gantry cranes on
the forward section and one aft for lift-
ing the containers.
The two ships, which will probably be
ready for their new service in about six
months, will be placed by the Grace Line
in the Caribbean and South American
service. It will mark the first use of con-
tainer ships in foreign trade by an Amer-
ican company.
PC To Build Launches
Two new 40-foot all-steel boarding
launches, the first to be built in the Canal
Zone for several years, will be constructed
soon by the Industrial Division in Cris-
tobal. Designs for the new craft are being
made by Philip Rhodes, well-known New
York naval architect. Each launch will
be powered by a GM 6-71 engine and
will have a speed of 16 knots. After their
completion, one each will be assigned for
service in Cristobal and Balboa.

New-Type Dipper Stick
A laminated wood core dipper stick,
the first of its kind to be constructed in
the Canal Zone, has been completed by

Thousands of Isthmian residents will
have an opportunity to visit the Japan-
ese floating industry fair which is due to
arrive in Balboa from Japan March 29,
aboard the Atlas Maru. The 10,000-ton
vessel will be docked at Pier 16 in Balboa
and will remain in port until April 2.
The Fair display will be inaugurated
the day after the ship's arrival with a
reception to be given on board for high
government officials of Panama and the
Canal Zone. The exhibit then will be
opened to local residents holding invita-

the Industrial Division in Cristobal for
the dipper dredge Cascadas. Formerly,
the dipper sticks, an essential part of any
dipper dredge, were assembled here with
a solid wood core. The new laminated
wood core is expected to make the new
dipper sticks not only stronger but longer
lived. The new-type core, brought to the
Canal Zone from the West Coast of the
United States, is 80 feet long and 19
inches by 27 inches in width. At the
Industrial Division, it was clad on all
four sides with two-inch steel plating,
bolted to the wood core to form a girder.
A second dipper stick will be assembled
soon at the Industrial Division to be used
as a spare by the Cascadas. The recently
completed stick was picked up in Cris-
tobal by the crane boat Atlas and trans-
ported to the Dredging Division in Gam-
boa where it was installed on the Cascadas.
New Cuba Service
A new direct service between the Pa-
cific Coast ports and Cuba was started
in January by the Nippon Yusen Kaisha
Line vessels which make regular trips
through the Panama Canal en route to
Gulf ports. The New York Maru made
the first call at Havana and is being fol-
lowed in the service by the Yokohama
Maru. The NYK Line ships on the new
service are equipped to complete the run
from San Francisco to Havana in 11 days,
the fastest West Coast-Cuba transit now
offered. All ships will include Miami,
Tampa, New Orleans, and other Gulf
ports in their itinerary, it was announced
by Norton, Lilly & Co., local agents.

tions or admission tickets from the Jap-
anese Embassy in Panama. Visiting
hours will be from 9 a. m. until 12 noon
and from 6 until 9 p. m.
The Atlas Maru, carrying an exhibit
of leading Japanese industrial products,
is making Panama the second stop on a
'round-Latin-American tour which will
include calls at 12 ports and 11 countries
in Central and South America. After
leaving Balboa, the vessel will make the
Canal transit north and sail for Barran-
quilla, Colombia.

New Lykes Line Ship
The keel of the third of 53 new cargo
ships included in the $500 million 14-year
shipbuilding program begun recently by
the Lykes Brothers-%Steamship Company
will be laid in March by the Ingalls Ship-
building Corporation in"Pascagoula, Miss.
The Ingalls Company is building five of
the nine vessels for which contracts have
already been let. Delivery of the new
ships is scheduled for early in 1960.
A large number of the Lykes Line
freighters are regular customers of the
Canal, with at least 10 ships of the fleet
making trips through the Canal on their
way from Gulf ports to the Far East.
Maiden Voyage
Another addition to the fleet of Bakke
ships operated by Knut Knutsen of
Haugesund, Norway, on the European
West Coast of South America. service
transited the Canal last month on the
homeward-bound lap of her maiden voy-
age. The ship was the Gudrun Bakke, the
first of two cargo liners of a somewhat
new type for the Knutsen group.
With a service speed of 18 knots, the
new ship has a deadweight capacity of
10,450 tons, is 506 feet in length, and
can carry general as well as refrigerated
cargo. The vessel has three holds forward
and four aft of the engine room with
'tweendeck spaces in the forecastle and
a trunked hatch through the poop. Ac-
commodations are available for,12jpas-
sengers in air-conditionedrcabins. The
Bakke ships are represented at the Canal
by C. B. Fenton & Company.